Best OLED TV Reviews in 2018

Organic LED TVs offer some pretty impressive advantages over their competitors, but there are a lot of them on the market. This can make it difficult for those who are looking for a great quality TV at a fantastic price, as well as being just plain confusing for those who are new to picking out a decent TV. If you’re looking to make sure you end up with the best OLED TV then you’re in the right place. Let’s take a look at some of our favorites, then we have a great guide to making sure you end up with only the TV that’s right for you.

1. Best Premium Large TV

LG Electronics SIGNATURE OLED65G6P

Product Rating5 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

Coming in at nearly double the price of our previous entry, this TV doesn’t seem to have much to differentiate it to the casual eye. There’s one key difference, however: it comes complete with an included sound system worthy of any home theater. This one is also “picture on glass” which makes things even clearer and removes the false depth of models which have the glass in front of the picture.

Whether or not these additional features are worthy of your dollar is up to you, but we feel if you’ve got the money then you may as well spend it making sure you’ve got the best TV possible.

This is simply one of the best 65” OLED TVs on the market, if not the best, but it’s going to cost enough you may want to consider a second mortgage.

Pros and Cons

Comes with high-quality sound system

Picture on glass

65” super clear screen

Tons of ports for outside devices

Super expensive

May not be worth the higher price tag for most people

2. Best Super Large OLED TV

Sony XBR77A1E 77-Inch 4K Ultra HD

Product Rating5 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

This is the only entry on our list which isn’t made by LG. There’s a reason for that: Sony does bigger pictures better. They also do sound a lot better than even the best LG TVs. All of this extra functionality comes at a cost however. Which is a huge difference in price. If you’re willing to spring for it, however, this prohibitively expensive TV is pretty much a home theater setup in and of itself. There’s simply no comparison to lesser products.

We’re serious, this thing is absolutely amazing.

If you’re willing to sacrifice your wallet on the altar of “jawdropping, totally amazing TVs” then this option from Sony is absolutely perfect for you. It’s basically a home theater in and of itself. The average person simply won’t be able to afford it however.

Pros and Cons

Amazing sound right out of the box

Enormous 77” screen

Smart TV capabilities

Best picture quality… ever

Amazingly expensive

Smart TV features aren’t as good as LG

Best for Most Homes

LG Electronics OLED55C7P

Product Rating4.5 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

55” is a magical size for a TV, coming in at the perfect viewing space for most people’s homes. If you’re 6-8’ from the TV… then you’re covered here.

On top of that, this smart TV has a metric ton of ports to allow you to access your different devices and webOS 3.5 you can even browse from the comfort of your couch if you opt for this TV.

The truth is, most of the LG OLED TVs are pretty similar, but this 2017 model is able to display in 4k and most people will quickly find it’s their favorite addition to their home.

Pros and Cons

4k capable

Smart TV

Comes with a web browser

Tons of ports

Expensive

Not appropriately sized for home theaters

4. Best Curved OLED TV

LG Electronics OLED55C6P

Product Rating4 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

While we think that curved screens are something of a fad, this OLED TV is pretty much optimal for those who want to ensure they have that fad right in their living room. Like all of the LG smart TVs it’s easy to stream, has a lot of ports, and some integrated software to allow you to do a lot more than just watch TV on it. The onboard sound for this TV is actually a step up from a lot of flat TVs, which is a nice touch for those looking for an immersive experience.

Unfortunately, there is no 2017 version of this curved screen so you’ll have to opt for an older version in order to get one.

If you absolutely have to have a curved OLED then this is the one you’ve been looking for. Add it to your home for an immersive experience.

Pros and Cons

4k Ultra HD

Smart TV with all features

Good audio for a flat TV

Curved screen

2016 model has somewhat outdated software

Expensive

5. “Budget” Large OLED TV

LG Electronics OLED65C7P

Product Rating4 /5

Reviewed by: Max Perzon

Coming in a bit cheaper than our next option, this is another LG smart TV. In all honesty, we can’t really recommend another brand since LG does them the best. This is the usual LG smart TV, allowing access to everything you expect and coming in with a flat 65” frame that’s might attractive overall. Fortunately it’s one of the 2017 models, allowing you to make sure that you’ve got all four HDMI ports over the 3 that the previous years model had. This means more devices and more fun straight in your living room.

Unfortunately, the sound isn’t great with this one, so it’s not really a premium TV despite the fairly high price tag.

That said, if you’re willing to add a sound bar this 65” TV can make for a pretty impressive home theater setup.

Pros and Cons

Smart TV

65” screen is suitable for larger homes

4 HDMI ports for a variety of devices

Latest model

Expensive

Sound isn’t great

Who Should Invest in an OLED?

Not everyone is even going to be interested in the advantages offered by an OLED. They’re a bit on the expensive side as of the current date, but there are certain people who’ll want to take advantage of the frankly superior picture.

Cinephiles in particular are going to fall in love. There’s no way to get a better 4k picture in the home than simply dropping the money and going for it with a fantastic OLED.

If money isn’t really an object, you’ll also find them to your liking.

For the rest of us, the technology might be a bit much. But one thing is for certain: if you want the best picture possible then an OLED is exactly what you’re looking for.

What Advantages Does OLED Have?

Of course, for most people the “organic” in the acronym stands out.

OLEDs have a fascinating mechanism, each individual molecule of the TV lights up as electric current passes through it.

This beats out the current LCD technology which is the only other real option if you want a super high-quality picture.

Essentially, with no backlight, each particle of the OLED can be turned off or on at will. This gives them absolutely amazing contrast and color saturation and is the main reason they have such a huge edge over regular TVs.

Funnily enough, they have fewer layers than most LCD TVs, but they’re still extremely expensive and hard to produce which makes them cost quite a bit more.

On the other hand, LCD screens can outperform OLEDs when it comes to peak brightness. This is the visual oomph behind explosions and other sudden light sources in your media.

Because each pixel is self-lighting they can be seen as equally bright from the sides as well. Anyone who’s spent a considerable amount of time in front of LCD screens of any sort knows the pain of having to move in order to make sure that you can maintain optimal brightness.

With an OLED you really won’t have to worry about it.

One last thing: the durability of OLED TVs is kind of up in the air. According to the hard data they should last roughly equivalent to an LCD screen, that is to say they should last about 100,000 hours.

They’ve only been around since 2013 in their earliest iterations so it’s kind of in the air.

On the other hand, there is a flaw in their durability: they can “burn in” static images if they’re left up for too long. This means… turn the TV off if you need to pause it and leave the room.

They’re definitely not as bad as the old CRTs about this, but it’s a concern you may want to keep abreast of in order to ensure the longevity of your expensive television.

Picking Your New OLED TV

So, now that you know exactly what you’re looking at, let’s discuss the TVs themselves.

There’s a whole lot that goes into these technical objects, and you need to make sure you know what you’re looking at so you don’t end up holding the short end of the stick.

Size

No matter what type of TV you’re looking at, you’re going to want to make sure it’s the right size.

Unlike LCD TVs, which seem to have a virtually unlimited array of sizes, when it comes to OLEDs you’re a bit harder up for finding that perfect, odd-sized TV. That’s mostly due to the harder manufacturing process.

You’re going to want to make sure that it’ll fit where you’re planning on putting it, but there really is a size suitable for all but the oddest sizes.

The size is also going to impact the cost a lot, as anyone who’s shopped for a TV can tell you. In fact, for most people the size they end up with isn’t limited so much by wall space as it is by budget.

The closer you’re sitting, the better off you may be saving some money on the size. If you’re only going to be six to eight feet away, for instance, anything over 55” is pretty much overkill.

In fact, if you’re uncertain on the size, then we actually recommend something 48”-55” for the best overall viewing experience in most homes.

Curved vs. Flat

People can debate this until the cows come home, but there’s one simple fact that holds true: they’re different.

For the most part, we feel that curving on OLED TVs is fairly unnecessary as they have an amazing field of view anyways. Despite the “more immersive experience” marketing line, we’ve found that they can be a bit of a pain and they’re likely more of a fad.

On the other hand: if you really want to go with a curved TV, whether for the novelty or to attempt to utilize it for a home theater setting, go for it.

Just don’t expect a better picture from picking a curved screen. Instead you’re going to end up with a curved picture.

That can be good or bad depending on your own personal preference. Suffice to say we think it’s more of an aesthetic choice but most media is made to be viewed flat and things are usually better off that way.

Resolution

The higher the better.

Bigger numbers, better picture.

There’s really not too many more ways to phrase this. The fact of the matter is this: the pixel count of the TV is an enormous part of the picture’s quality.

In fact, it’s actually the deciding factor for the most part.

On a more technical note, 1920×1080 pixels is HD while 3840×2160 is going to be your bog-standard resolution for 4k media.

So, if you’re looking to make sure you end up with a TV capable of displaying in 4k, then you’re going to have to make sure that the resolution is up to par.

Smart TV?

Look, almost every TV nowadays is a “smart” TV.

Integrated viewing of web services and the like are pretty much standard anytime you might step into buying a high-end TV and currently OLED TVs are… well, they’re all fairly high end.

On the other hand, some are going to have more features than others. Whether the differences are worth the extra money is going to be up to you, but keep in mind that devices like the Amazon FireStick can be plugged into an HDMI port and you’ll be good to watch pretty much anything.

On the other hand, it’s really hard to beat being able to run your TV easily without having to switch the input port so the choice is yours again.

The proprietary software of differing brands is the biggest difference. For the most part, LG is the way to go if you’re interested in smart features but everyone seems to have their own take on the matter.

Age of the Tech

While the older OLEDs are still pretty respectable in their own right… they’re not quite as slick as the newer ones.

Remember that these TVs are still cutting edge, which means that the technology is changing rapidly. Those older TVs might make for some impressive savings… but you also might be better off spending the same amount of money on a current high-end LCD display instead.

Most of the TVs we recommend are from the newer generation. There’s good reason for that, but if you’re on a tight budget and insist on OLED then you can definitely get away with it.

Audio

You’re going to want to invest in a sound bar if you really care about the home theater experience. Otherwise you can expect mediocre-to-decent audio no matter how much youspend.

Audiophiles are already going to have their own systems set up, home theater folk are going to have their surround sound setups, and the rest of us are generally fine without the need for thumping bass, clear highs, and uber-realistic sound.

3D Capability

Some OLED TVs have 3D capability.

It also tends to cost a lot extra. Whether or not you think it’s suitable for your experience is up to you, since it’s still unknown whether it’s tending to be a fad or not.

We fall into the latter school of thought, but there are definitely 3D movies out there worth watching if that’s your bag.

You just need to decide whether or not you think the additional tacked on cost is going to be worth it for your own viewing experience.

Pricing

We all know this is the big one for most of us.

Each of the above factors is going to affect the price quite a bit. Some OLED TVs can run up to five figures… and some people will pay it.

If you’re in that category, go ahead and dump a small fortune into your TV.

For the rest of us, we’ll have to prioritize which features we think are the most necessary and draw our conclusions about what the best TV for us is from there.

Some people might want a more moderately sized TV for a smaller apartment but still want 4K capabilities, others might want a 72” flat screen adorning the wall just to fill in the space properly but are fine with standard HD formatting.

So… think about it before you make a final choice.

These TVs are a big investment, so you’re going to have it for a while. It makes sense to slow down for a couple of minutes and think your purchase all the way through.

Conclusion

OLED TVs are hot. They’re fantastic and make for, in our humble opinion, the best viewing option possible with current technology. If you choose to invest in one, then you definitely won’t be unimpressed over time. The real question for those cinephiles who find them appropriate: which is the best OLED TV for your home.

Make the choice and go for an order. You definitely won’t be disappointed.